Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to: an image processing apparatus such as a multifunctional digital image processing apparatus (i.e., a multi-function peripheral abbreviated as MFP) having printer function, copier function, facsimile function, scanner function, and other functions; an authentication method for the image processing apparatus to implement when receiving a connection request from a portable terminal apparatus; and a recording medium.
Description of the Related Art
The following description sets forth the inventor's knowledge of related art and problems therein and should not be construed as an admission of knowledge in the prior art.
Printer drivers and printing applications allowing users to use an image processing apparatuses such as a MFP as described above are extensively installed on user terminals such as personal computers. Such a printer driver or printing application is configured to give to print data authentication information such as user identification information or department identification information in a printer job language (PJL) that works with the function of an image processing apparatus, and to transmit the print data to the image processing apparatus. Receiving the print data, the image processing apparatus prohibits the use by unauthenticated users by performing user authentication or department authentication using the authentication information described in PJL. That is, the image processing apparatus permits the use by only authenticated users registered in advance on the image processing apparatus itself.
In contrast, operating system (OS) standard printing applications called AIRPRINT and MOPRIA PLUG-IN, for example, are installed on portable terminal apparatuses such as smartphones. Such an OS standard printing application is not configured to give to print data authentication information such as user information in a form that works with the configuration of an image processing apparatus. The image processing apparatus cannot receive the authentication information accordingly. Here, there is a problem as described below.
With such an OS standard printing application as described above, the image processing apparatus cannot identify the user properly and cannot manage the authorized activities of the user.
Specifically, the image processing apparatus may be configured to permit printing by only registered users. In this case, the image processing apparatus will have an authentication error because of absence of user information and discard print data. Alternatively, the image processing apparatus may be configured to perform user authentication but permit the use also by public users. In this case, the image processing apparatus will recognize all print jobs as being given by public users. In whichever example, the image processing apparatus cannot manage the authorized activities of users (e.g., print volume use imitations and color printing restrictions) properly.
Alternatively, with such an OS standard printing application as described above, the image processing apparatus may be configured to store authentication information serving only for the judgment whether or not to permit a connection with the portable terminal apparatus and to judge whether or not to permit such a connection by comparing authentication information received from the portable terminal apparatus to the registered authentication information.
In this case, since the authentication information serves only for the judgment whether or not to permit a connection with the portable terminal apparatus, the image processing apparatus still cannot identify users and cannot manage the authorized activities of users.
According to a technique suggested in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2010-034822, an image forming apparatus is configured to prompt for input of authentication information such as a user name and password before direct printing, and to compare input authentication information to authority information registered on the image forming apparatus itself. The image processing apparatus is further configured to perform charging and restrict printing without sacrificing the advantages of direct printing.
According to the technique described in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2010-034822, however, the image forming apparatus performs user authentication for direct printing, not for remote printing from an OS standard printing application. Receiving a print job from an OS standard printing application, the image processing apparatus still cannot perform user authentication and cannot manage the authorized activities of users, which means that the above-described problem remains unresolved.